Ash Arrows
by highladyfxyre
Summary: Feyre is injured while in the woods. Angst ensues.


I knew I shouldn't blame myself, but I couldn't help it.

I didn't have to be in the woods that day. The task could have been done by Azriel, or even Cassian. But I needed to clear my head, and going into the woods helped that. It reminded me of when I was human, when the woods had been both my saviour and annihilator. A break from my sisters and father, but a place where it was always bitter cold, and my hunger gnawed at me.

So, yes, I didn't have to be in the woods that day. But –with it being only a short time after the war- I was stressed, and had snapped at multiple people. I needed to keep my mind on something other than the never ending paperwork. To keep my mind on something that was like second nature to me.

I was here to hunt- well, I didn't know what yet, technically. All we knew was that there was a stray creature who was stalking these woods, killing anyone who passed through these trees. And since I was the best tracker –besides Azriel- and huntress of the Inner Circle, I was the one who was to find it at kill it. Though nothing had happened for a few weeks, so whatever was here was probably dead, or had moved to somewhere else.

But as I trudged along, my mind was on other things. I had gotten angry at Rhys today. Over something minor, but I had been irritated all day, and I had taken it out on him. We hadn't even said goodbye to each other before I had left; not a real goodbye, anyway.

I kept replaying the fight in my head. I would apologize to him when I got home.  
It was my fault for snapping at him.

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the arrow until it had hit my stomach.

An ash wood arrow.

It felt like I was being burned alive. The pain was like red hot flames spreading through my body. I tried to scream, but the sound came out distorted.

Desperately, I flung out my power, trying to hit whoever had hit me. But I fell to the ground before I could see if it had worked.

Distantly, I heard a roar of rage, so powerful the earth seemed to tremble beneath me, but the sound was nothing compared to the pounding in my head.  
I attempted to pull out the arrow, trying to get it out of me, but my hands burned when I touched it. The agony was unbearable.

The sky had turned black above me- black as the night.

Rhys.

And then he was there, next to me, my own pain reflected on his face. Vaguely, I heard a male scream, one I didn't recognize. Turning my head -the slight movement feeling like torture- I saw Cassian standing over a body, a bloody knife in his hands. My vision was distorted.

I was so distracted by the sight a few metres away from me that I didn't even realise that Rhys was getting the arrow out of me.

His face held none of the usual calm. He was frantic, and though he tried to be gentle, I could tell that this movement was more hurried than he would usually do when treating such an injury. As if it pained him just as much as it did me. His hands were shielded, though the strength of the ash wood meant that his hands still got burned, just not as much if he hadn't protected them. Rhys just gritted his teeth and continued to slowly move out the arrow, as if he went too fast, it would do more harm than good.

I cried out at the pain, at the sensation that I was being scalded over and over again. I arched upwards and vomited blood.

I was going to die. I was going to die and I hadn't even lived yet, not really, and I was never going to see Rhys again, never get a life with him and-

"Feyre. Feyre listen to me. You are not going to die today. It will all be fine." Rhys told me, tears on his face, his voice wavering slightly.

I couldn't talk, couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Rhys pulled the ash arrow out. The pain was still there, but it had dimmed now that the wood was outside of me.

I leaned up once more, and vomited again.

I vaguely heard Cassian return.

"Area's clear. No one else is here. Azriel's found nothing either." He told Rhys, with an anxious –and murderous- look. "Looks like there was just the one."

A nod and a growl from my mate in reply.  
I groaned again, and both the Illyrians attention was focused solely on me.

"See if he works for anyone. If he does, bring them to the Court of Nightmares. We can deal with them there." Rhys' voice was lethally calm, though it was still laced with terror and concern. That I could have died today. He didn't move his eyes from my face, even though he spoke the words to Cassian.

The latter only nodded, though he had a predatory gleam in his eyes at the thought of making the bastards that shot me pay. He flew off, presumably to find Azriel and then hunt.

"Rhys…" Every word was an effort. "I'm… sorry. For what I said today."

"It's already forgotten, darling. The only thing I care about right now is getting you better." He replied gently as he pushed back some of the hair from my forehead. "You need to rest."

And the last thing I remembered was Rhys' worried yet relieved face before my vision turned black and I slipped into darkness.

I woke up in my own bed, with Rhys sat on a chair nearby, a book in his hand, which he instantly closed when he saw that I was awake.

"How are you?" His words were raw, as if he'd been crying.

"Still a little sore. A lot better, though."  
It was true. My stomach still hurt, but it was only a minor ache, nothing compared to what I'd felt before. My head wasn't pounding anymore.

"How long have I been out?" I asked Rhys in a quiet voice, my throat still sore.

"A day." His words were tight.

"Have you had any rest?"

It didn't look like he had; his eyes were red rimmed, and he was slumped slightly in his chair.

"A little. I wanted to be awake when you woke up." His voice was sincere.

I smiled a little at that, and patted the space next to me on the bed. He instantly slid in next to me, on top of the sheets, careful not to jostle me. He turned onto his side, facing me. As calm as he seemed on the outside, I could still tell he was worried.

"A thought for a thought?" I asked him, entwining my fingers with his.

"When I felt you down to bond… I was terrified. I didn't know if I was going to lose you." His words were laced with fear, genuine fear, at what could have happened. "When I got there, and you were on the floor… I would have done anything."

"But I'm okay now. The man who did this." Rhys growled at my mention of him. "He's dead. He's not going to hurt me again. Besides, I should have been paying attention. I could have stopped it."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault." He paused. "After the war, I thought that we were out of danger. That you would be alright."

"I knew what I was getting into when I became High Lady. I would go through a hundred assassination attempts for you."

"Please don't. I really don't want you to try and get killed just so I know how much you love me."

"It's a deal. What happened? To the creature in the woods?"

"Azriel found it. A stray attor. It's dead now."

I nodded. At least one problem was dealt with.

We lay in silence for a while, Rhys tracing the lines and patterns of the tattoo on my hand.

"I love you." Rhys said quietly, breaking the silence.

I smiled at him, and leaned forward to lightly press a kiss to his lips.

"I love you too."


End file.
